'The Rifleman' had one spin-off ('Law Of The Plainsman' starring Michael Ansara) but this could have been another. As government agent Tom Benton, Claude Akins could have beaten 'The Wild, Wild West' to broadcast by about five years. (Although it probably would not be as outrageous in tone.)

The series could have traveled all over the West - and go to the Nation's Capital as well. And it would have been a nice showcase for noted guest stars as each week's bad guys.

As a government agent working undercover, Tom Benton could theoretically have shown up in other TV Westerns as other characters played by Claude Akins. They could even be "bad" guys (acting bad to establish "street cred") - so long as they don't kill anybody or get killed themselves.

I wouldn't want these alt-named Tom Benton characters to be killed off because I do have a Claude Akins character from 1906 on the Toobworld timeline who could be a likely candidate to be Tom Benton in disguise.

And that revelation will be coming up later in today's "As Seen On TV" showcase......

Just An Old Cowhand On The TiVo Grande

As the Trickster once said, "Reality is boring, that's why I change it whenever I can."
I'm just "The Man Who Viewed Too Much", and "Inner Toob" is a blog exploring and celebrating the 'reality' of an alternate universe in which everything that ever happened on TV actually takes place.
Most of my theories about the TV Universe come from thinking inside the box and thus can't be proven. But I've never been one to shy away from a tall tale.....
Remember: "The more you watch, the more you've seen!"